Hearing devices are wearable hearing apparatuses which are used to assist the hard-of-hearing. In order to accommodate numerous individual requirements, various types of hearing devices are available such as behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing devices and in-the-ear (ITE) hearing devices, for example also concha hearing devices or completely-in-the-canal (ITE, CIC) hearing devices. The hearing devices listed as examples are worn on the outer ear or in the auditory canal. Bone conduction hearing aids, implantable or vibrotactile hearing aids are also available on the market. The damaged hearing is thus stimulated either mechanically or electrically.
The key components of hearing devices are principally an input converter, an amplifier and an output converter. The input converter is normally a receiving transducer e.g. a microphone and/or an electromagnetic receiver, e.g. an induction coil. The output converter is most frequently realized as an electroacoustic converter e.g. a miniature loudspeaker, or as an electromechanical converter e.g. a bone conduction hearing aid. The amplifier is usually integrated into a signal processing unit. This basic configuration is illustrated in FIG. 1 using the example of a behind-the-ear bearing device. One or a plurality of microphones 2 for recording ambient sound are built into a hearing device housing 1 to be worn behind the ear. A signal processing unit 3 which is also integrated into the hearing device housing 1 processes and amplifies the microphone signals. The output signal for the signal processing unit 3 is transmitted to a loudspeaker or receiver 4, which outputs an acoustic signal. Sound is transmitted through a sound tube, which is affixed in the auditory canal by means of an otoplastic, to the device wearer's eardrum. Power for the hearing device and in particular for the signal processing unit 3 is supplied by means of a battery 5 which is also integrated in the hearing device housing 1.
An ITE hearing device and/or a CIC hearing device usually comprises a shell and a so-called face plate that seals the shell and thus represents a sealing unit. The hearing device shell and/or the shell of the hearing apparatus is inserted into the user's auditory canal and therefore must be individually shaped. As a result the shell is normally produced in the user's country of residence. By contrast the face plate can be regarded as a standard element in its basic form (null face plate). Consequently it is normally produced at a common production location for all countries. This frequently brings benefits in terms of costs, logistics and quality.
During production the null face plate is fitted with the standard components that are practically always required for the model being produced. Thus for example battery and programming contacts are inserted and/or injected into the face plate at this stage. Furthermore a hybrid circuit for example, on to which various electronic components are soldered, is cold-welded on to the battery and/or programming contacts at the production location of the face plate. The hybrid circuit is mostly positioned together with at least one microphone in freely-milled openings at typical specific points on the face plate.
However during the milling process the signal processing components that have already been soldered and/or welded on to the null face plate cannot be located in the milling zone. As this is indeed normally the case, the mechanical production of individual face plates is not currently possible. Currently only the amplifier circuit and the volume control are usually affixed to the null face plate and the individualization of the face plate, i.e. the positioning holes are milled manually.
A hearing device that can be worn in the ear is known from the publication EP 1 246 507 A1. It features a face plate on to which a socket is removably fixed in a battery opening. An electronic module is positioned on the socket. In order to remove electronic components from the hearing device the socket is removed from the battery opening. An in-the-ear hearing device with an electronic module is furthermore described in the patent specification DE 10 2005 040 542 B3. The electronic module is inserted into a housing shell and the electronic components of the electronic module are affixed to a flexible skeleton.